Garuda Indonesia

Project Overview

This is an experimental study, done to complete Final Project for a bachelor degree in Visual Communication Design. I took on the challenge on thinking how Garuda Indonesia, the Indonesian flag carrier, could live up to the brand competition. The message is the historical and patriotical role that Garuda has played for the nation.

Goals

The goal of this project is to create a campaign for Garuda Indonesia that augments the image of a flag carrier of Indonesia. Research in 2007 showed that the image of the airline that time was declining due to bad management and economic crisis. Apart from service improvement, data and interviews agreed that Garuda needed something image-wise to help ease the transition.

Challenges

Garuda Indonesia was already an airline with problems, particularly since the national economic crisis in 1998. Several important routes were cut, including an important Jakarta-Amsterdam route, which was cut in 2004. It was banned to fly to Europe by European air authorities. The aircrafts were old and new ones were needed. A few accidents and incidents happened during this time, but were quite fatal. People were generally not choosing the airline in favor of the growing choices of low-cost carriers. Foreigners didn’t trust the airline and opted for other full-service airlines for their trips to Indonesia.

With an airline in need of help internally and substantially, a campaign seemed to be the least feasible way to help alleviate the problems. However, service improvement would mean nothing if it was not campaigned in proper ways.

Process

With Discovery, I discuss with fellow stakeholders, do background research online, make presentations to the team, talk to Garuda Indonesia customers. Find the problems and what we have done in the past that worked and didn’t.

With Concept, where the moodboards, storyboards, sketches and theories are all blended in to form a concept.

With Design Draft, I worked on the details of the visuals and apply them through various collaterals.

With Iteration, I continue to perfect every detail as time progresses and further discussions with stakeholders take hold.

Results

Livery design. We wanted the forefront brand ambassadors to be on the spotlight: the planes. It’s a huge undertaking, and much a bolder way to express the message. There are two messages carried: Indonesia’s beautiful nature and Indonesia’s cultural highlights. A330-series aircrafts were used because they were used to long-haul international destinations (Japan, China, Korea, Saudi Arabia).

Culture livery

Nature livery

Nature livery in 3D

Below-the-line applications. Ads, banners on airports, mini-exhibition, boarding pass design, mini-website are among the applications that were used to further maximize the audience and impact of this campaign.